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<< Previous   of   Next >> Overture Films  (click to enlarge) George Clooney (left) and Kevin Spacey are “warrior monks” in the First Earth Battalion, a New Age military program, in “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 6, 2009 ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ aims at many targets, and mostly misses By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic In its quest to approach the classic satire of “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats” gets about halfway down the road. That’s not far enough. The problem is, this film tries to do too many things: Bring to light some bizarre real-life programs in the U.S. military, make us care about the characters, execute black comedy and reference a few Iraq War touchstones. The mix doesn’t work, but the movie is frequently funny. It’s based on reporter Jon Ronson’s book about an actual proposal forwarded by an Army officer who spent time researching the New Age movement (and various counterculture ideas) in the late 1970s, and came up with the idea for “The First Earth Battalion,” a groovy approach to waging war. Some of the ideas included entering hostile countries with hugs and “sparkly eyes” conveying friendship. Meditation, yoga and fasting would turn soldiers into “warrior monks” who would use force only as a last resort. Even though there was never a First Earth Battalion per se, the military actually did investigate some of these ideas. “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” in mixing up a fictionalized story with the real program, depicts a number of these. Including the title: The Army did experiment to see if soldiers with paranormal powers could stare at goats hard enough to stop the animals’ hearts. In the movie, the most successful psychic soldier is Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), whose story is discovered by journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor). Wilton’s in Iraq hunting for a story and, as they trek through the desert, Cassady tells him the history of the First Earth Battalion. Jeff Bridges, very much in his “Big Lebowski” Dude-ness, plays the inventor of the First Earth program. Kevin Spacey plays a mustachioed psychic who bears a mysterious hostility to Cassady, his nemesis. These flashback sequences are more successful than the scenes of Cassady and Wilton traipsing around Iraq, which seem to exist to remind us there’s a war on. Clooney produced the film, and his longtime filmmaking partner Grant Heslov directed. You can see the crazy appeal of the material, but it feels too scattered to really connect. And its jeering tone wears thin. The film pokes plenty of fun at the New Age ideas in the First Earth guidebook, but some of those ideas actually seem kind of promising — maybe not the psychic powers, but some of the kinder, gentler ideas. The best thing about it is Clooney, who has a collection of hilarious wigs and a sincere approach to his paranormal gifts. His “sparkly eyes” demonstration alone is worth sitting through the rest of the movie. “The Men Who Stare at Goats” ½ A somewhat scattered comedy inspired by an actual late-1970s military proposal to develop psychic powers and New Age spirituality in U.S. soldiers. George Clooney, in a funny performance, plays the most gifted of these “warrior monks”; Jeff Bridges does a variation on his “Big Lebowski” role. Rated: R for language, nudity Showing: Alderwood, Cinebarre Mountlake Terrace, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Guild 45th, Meridian, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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